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Friday, June 16, 2017

The demolition of the Apex Building is either about to begin in earnest, or pedestrians are losing use of the western sidewalk along Wisconsin Avenue even earlier than expected. Demolition fencing and barricades have been extended around the building, and out into the rightmost lane of Wisconsin, between Elm Street and 7200 Wisconsin Avenue. The sidewalk is closed, and signs on the other side of Wisconsin (MD 355) warn pedestrians not to cross the street.

This sidewalk will almost certainly be closed for the duration of the construction of the new building that will replace the Apex. There is the possibility that they will provide a covered pedestrian walkway alongside the construction site, as they did at the Solaire Bethesda site at 7100 Wisconsin. However, Montgomery County either cannot, or will not, evenly enforce the law against sidewalk closures passed a decade ago by the County Council. In fact, the vast majority of construction sites still close one or more sidewalks throughout construction.

The best part of the sidewalk closures is that they last well after exterior construction is complete, so the developers have a place to store their equipment and materials while they work on the interior.